Firefighters take on charity challenge

Crews pull three and a half tonne vehicle 55 miles to raise money

THEY are used to having their stamina and fitness tested on a daily basis as part of their job.

But last week, firefighters from the Royal Berkshire Fire and Rescue Service put their endurance to the test in order to raise funds for three charities.

The four-day ‘Big Pull’ event saw crews use every ounce of their strength to pull the three-and-a-half tonne water rescue unit vehicle 55 miles from the district’s furthest west fire station at Lambourn, to the furthest east fire station at Langley.

During the challenge, firefighters – many of them over the age of 40 – stopped off at Newbury, Reading and Maidenhead to raise awareness for water safety and to collect donations.

All the proceeds from the Big Pull will be split equally between – The Firefighters charity, Cystic Fibrosis and Brookfields Special Educational Needs (SEN) school, Tilehurst.

Many fire and rescue service personnel were pulling over the four days, but the main crew comprised watch managers Phil Clark and Rafer Joseph, temporary crew manager Barry Whitting and firefighters Dave Beards, Kevin Cramner, Simon Appleby, Craig Rodgers and Darren Hulbert.

Along the way, of-duty crews also joined in, to show their support.

The event, organised by Caversham Road Fire Station, has so far raised more than £1,000.

Two Just Giving fundraising pages have been created for the events at www.justgiving.com/ kevin-cranmer1 and www.justgiving.com/kevin-cranmer2

A raffle has also been organised alongside this event which will take place at the end of the month, with many local businesses donating prizes for this.